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The Brain, Behavior and Business: B3 Book Project Proposal

“Attending the World Economic Forum this past week, I was struck by two trends. The first was that brain research has emerged as a hot topic. Not only was brain science or brain health a new theme at the meeting, research on the brain emerged in discussions about next generation computing, global cooperation, and even models of economic development as well as being linked to mental health or mindfulness. In a meeting frequented largely by economists and business leaders, I was surprised by the number of non-scientists who have become enchanted by brain science. Clearly this is the era of the brain, with mental health now part of a much broader discussion.” Head of The National Institutes of Mental Health

The Problem
In the aftermath of the global financial meltdown the British government did fairly extensive study of the causes of the massive financial losses. The findings: (mainly) young men did impulsive and compulsive behaviors that were harmful to themselves, their employers, and the industry, country and world economy!

Sadly, but predictably, none of the experts used by the British government, nor the ministers paying for the research, had the slightest awareness, nor the needed scientific knowledge, in behavior and how brain physiology caused the harmful behaviors. Oops.*

B3 provides the FIRST evidence-based discussion, factbook, textbook and manual for applying the best (brand new) brain and behavioral science for problem-solving and capturing opportunities in business, policy and the professions.

I. Overview

The Solution – The Professional’s Primer on the Brain and Behavior Science

You are very smart and already successful professional, senior leader and decision-maker. How you get better from here depends on knowing more than others – and more than you know now. Probably, a lot more. The winner is the one with the best information and there is no better information than the best brain science – but you need an expert source and guide.

Everything you do is focused on the behavior of clients, customers, partners, co-workers, employees and other stakeholders in your work. The best new knowledge you need to grow and be more effective is being discovered in the advanced brain science labs around the world.

It is no longer acceptable, nor responsible, to be a professional and be uninformed about the rapidly advancing knowledge about the brain and causes for behavior. What subject is more important for any advanced or professional education?

B3 is not just to convey information. It is also a strategy for becoming aware, accessing and reading/listening/watching from credible sources. There is a lot of information but you, as a professional, need guidance in how you think about problems to do with behavior, what sort of questions to ask of the information, what issues are really important and how to construct and argument.

Brain and behavioral science is complicated and getting more so at an accelerating velocity. As a leader, in learning about brain and behavioral science, you want to “…know what time it is” and a little bit about “how the watch works.”

For the first time in history we now are starting to understand the medical facts about how the brain controls behavior. The findings are surprising. You will learn how brain science debunks pretty much all of our cultural and personal beliefs – and most of the theories in best-selling, “airport” and academic books. Contrary to a lot of the popularized coverage of “neuro-“topics, brain research is a technical and growing medical and biological specialty. Brain research opens up a “brave new world” of business, policy and professional opportunities for you and your work. B3 will also touch on demographic and life-span behavioral topics which often define professional, business and policy matters. That is specific behaviors at specific stages of life define both problems and opportunities.

This is not a self-help or book for “dummies.” You have to be smart and motivated to understand this new knowledge and apply it to your work. B3 is your handbook of the best brain and behavior science for your professional work. Knowledge you can apply today to build your career, impact and make what you are doing more successful. You are already very smart and B3 will make you a lot smarter and more effective.

The Problem B3 Solves – While brain and behavioral science is some of the best knowledge being created and will be so going for; the “best and brightest” of young academics, scientists and medical researchers are “piling on” and into this field – it has already rushed beyond the comprehension of even the best educated non-specialist.

If someone did not start intensive study of this field seven to five years ago, they do not have the background to keep up with the current and future field. It is impractical for anyone to go backwards. By the time someone has spent the years learning the basics – the field will have jumped ahead and gotten even more complex.

The serious professional in other fields MUST have a translator to even start being introduced to brain and behavioral science. Someone who did put in the years of serious study, when this field started years ago.

II. Target Audience

The targets are smart, well educated professionals, executives and decision makers in business, academics and policy. Our market includes: attorneys, accountants, bankers, financial services, salesmen and marketers, ad executives, medical professionals, political professionals, C-suite, executives and decision makers and policy makers in governments at all levels. Anyone who wants the best, current academic and scientific information to apply to their work.

As service business, the professions and government jobs increase – this is a growing target market. A market that is also poorly served by most pop(ular) IP. This IP also has immediate relevance to foundation, not for profit and charitable work.

III. About the Author

I am a seasoned and proven professional marketer and communicator, with a career in technical B2B topics serving primarily financial services firms, clients and wealthy individuals. I have a Master’s of Science in Life- Span Developmental Psychology from University of Chicago. With over 7 years of study of this topic, I have the contacts with the best neuroscientists and a platform for direct marketing of this IP and update it as the science progresses. I have become an expert in the application of brain research to business settings. I moderate two neuromarketing Linked in groups and a group targeting ultra-high net-worth (UHNW) family offices. My blog Brain Molecule Marketing has over 1300 entries. I am also a blogger on the Times of Israel where I share a brain and behavior perspective on current events.** My personal Facebook page also includes a page for the book

There are no “experts” or even thought-leaders or commentators in this market – yet. Some academic have published but these books ae way to specialized and generally focused on the self-help market. There have been some neuromarketing and neuroeconomics/behavioral economics titles, e.g. “Nudge”. But these are either too dense or superficial and happy-talk. Albeit, happy-talk sells.

I am unique in:

Marketing, advertising and communicating skills to promote the book

Science and professional credentials as a degreed psychologist from a top university

Access to professional and industry networks for promotion

Direct access to best brain scientists, academics and labs

I do continual direct marketing to these markets

There is a unique opportunity for me, as an experienced business person who truly understands and can critically review and articulate brain science, to establish thought-leadership and a personal and branded franchise in this emerging, very fast growing, area of work-related IP. B3 is the place to start.

New applied and critical analysis is vital. Most of the research, models, theories and ideas are unproductive and being debunked, since this is a new field. Utilizing, translating and speaking with authority in this field requires constant critical and knowledgeable review of the primary research. These papers, until recently, have only been available by subscription in expensive professional journals. Now, the science of the “best and brightest” minds is immediately available directly from them on one the web.

Perhaps, most critically and uniquely, I have created, over many years a formalized process for discovering, reviewing, translating and digesting the best brain research – and avoiding the weak theories and findings. I have the personal, networking, electronic and writing/IP production processes already in place to “find and mine” the IP. I have also created a good professional authoritative “voice” and reputation to present the material.

I have been building a network of academic, government and business contacts as a trusted-advisor on technical matters. Academics and scientists will never be able to articulate and communicate their findings to a professional audience, neither will medical practitioners who are focused on mental health issues anyway. Psychologists and corporate services firms and practitioners are untrained and locked into offering obsolete theories and models.

This gives me increasing visibility with the producers of the knowledge and a reputation as a trusted source with our target market thought leaders. Business and professional thought leaders come to me to teach them about translating brain and behavioral research to business and professional knowledge.

Because of my network of established business contacts, reputation and marketing and communications resources I am unique in being able to deliver substantial marketing and distribution resources.

I am especially equipped to obtain and mange distribution, production and funding partnerships. I have been a leader in event, email, web and e-marketing and will create my own multi-platform distribution business.

“There is no scientific study more vital to man than the study of his own brain. Our entire view of the universe depends on it.” Francis Crick

IV. Competitive Titles

There is simply no way to any business, policy, profession or work related enterprise and activity to continue to ignore the facts about how the brain causes and controls behavior.

Let’s briefly review the business book best seller list and see how each topic covered by the best-selling book also has a brain research relevance. For example:

B3 Advantage – Will authoritatively cover Gender brain and behavior differences are a fact base needed to be understood by executives and decision makers at all organizations – as well as marketers

2. Outliers— Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent.

B3 Advantage – The same topics Gladwell covers can also be discussed using the latest scientific evidence and facts.

3. Extortion— A Hoover Institution fellow argues that politicians shape legislation in order to extract donations.

B3 Advantage – Will cover brain research is directly relevant to political behaviors, consulting and marketing.

4. The Everything Store— The story of Jeff Bezos and Amazon.

B3 Advantage – In contrast to neuromarketing and neuroeconomics books and theories we will explain and prove the next level of sophisticated marketing, economics and finance directly relevant to consumer behaviors.

5. Focus— The author of “Emotional Intelligence” relies on research on attention to argue that high achievement requires three kinds of focus.

B3 Advantage – The topics covered by Golem’s theories have alternative brain research that applies directly to them and offers more evidence-based and useable ideas for work settings

B3 Advantage – We will digest and deliver the brain research covering behavior in organizations of employees, consumers and stakeholders is a central topic of this book

7. Do You Speak Shoe Lover?— Stories from customers and employees of the shoe retailer DSW.

B3 Advantage — Again, there will be substantial coverage of consumer and marketing matters.

9. Thinking, Fast and Slowby — The winner of the Nobel in economic science discusses how we make choices in business and personal life.

B3 Advantage – Brain science has moved beyond the theories and ideas in this book making significant changes to evidence-based models of the brain > behavior. DK’s theories are challenged by new research that is more applicable to professional matters, settings and problem-solving.

8. The Caterpillar Wayby Craig T. Bouchard and James V. Koch (McGraw-Hill Education). A biography of Caterpillar Inc. as a tale of successful business management.

B3 Advantage — Professional and business behaviors, as informed by the latest brain research, is a core topic.

Another indicator of the target reader’s interests and behaviors pointing to demand is this list of the top 3 McKinsey Consulting articles in 2014:

1. Why Leadership-Development Programs Fail

B3 Advantage – There are real discoveries in how and why leadership works and is effective – it is NOT what business schools, business magazines and airport business books preach, of course.

2. Change Leader, Change Thyself – Anyone who pulls the organization in new directions must look inward as well as outward.

B3 Advantage – The process of looking “inward/outward” is understanding how your brain, and those of other work.

3. Strategic Principles for Competing in the Digital Age – Digitization is rewriting the rules of competition, with incumbent companies most at risk of being left behind. Here are six critical decisions CEOs must make to address the strategic challenge posed by the digital revolution.

B3 Advantage – All things digital are about the brain and behaviors, of course. To understand digital business, you have to understand the brain, duh.

V. Marketing and Promotion

The marketing, production and distribution strategy for the B3 IP is very aggressive and ambitious. We set as our goal establishment of market dominance quickly and universally – establishing the highest quality brand and reputation.

“The fun thing about the brain is that it always defeats our intuitions. Everything is veeerrry strange once you look inside the head…” Paul Cisek, neuroscientist

Applications in Business, the Professions and Policy – Practical discussion for applying the science to the readers world of work, problem-solving anf capturing opportunities

State of the Brain/Biological Science – Mainly topical appendices – see attached list. But readable and comprehensible

Special Topics and Technical Appendices – The back of the book will contain the technical and special topics for the reader who seeks the most depth. For readers who want to understand in greater detail there are “technical notes” at the back of the book. It is not necessary to read these notes to follow the book’s main text, but some readers may learn a few odd bits of physics and astronomy from these notes.

Example – Best Expert Science Translated for the Professional to Use – Today!

The figure below pretty much explains how all of our behavior is caused in the brain. When you glance it, at first, it seems very complicated and incomprehensible. It’s not. B3 will explain this simply, without dumbing down the science.

Not only does this diagram, and the very good bench science behind it, debunk pretty much all current cultural, pop and even academic beliefs, theories and models but it is a road map for solving problems at work and capturing opportunities. Source: Paul Cisek

Unique and Evergreen IP

The IP for B3 includes both the original primary research and our digesting of this information for application to work problem-solving.

The original research is a remarkable source of endless knowledge by the “best and brightest” minds in the world funded by government science programs – it is free. For the first time the web and open-access policies now make this research available instantly online. This information used to be “locked-up” unavailable in expensive journals. No longer.

Translation of this original research into understandable language and placed in contexts of practical need is a special skill we will expand.

So from the “supply’ side we have a steady, and accelerating, stream of the best knowledge being produced. The B3 franchise will convert it to saleable communications material. Once converted, it will be distributed physically and electronically in whatever format needed.

B3 Franchise Multi-Platform Distribution

This material easily conforms to both physical and e-distribution current and emerging distribution channels.

B3 Book — The hardcover book is the place to start. This is a natural audio-book topic as well. An e-book can easily be made interactive. The material is highly compelling visually – and fun.

As research for the book and following publication and for development of further material, I will interview the top neuroscientists and that video material has many uses.

B3 Online – A web-site can carry audio and video as well as real time updates. We will also have interviews with the top scientists.

B3 Broadcast – There are natural extensions possible in TV, radio, podcast, etc. For example, BBC World Service radio has as hour long-show that exactly mirrors the communications level B3 will deliver – but targeted to professional and work applications and even more state of the science.

B3 Events/Conferences – This material, since it is largely free can readily be converted to conferences, training and meeting.

We will establish a process for producing a steady flow of “evergreen” IP of the highest quality and state of the science. Targeted casts of this materials is also natural extension. This could easily be made into a textbook. NOT a brain research text book, but a pioneering textbook about applying brain science to business and other professional activities. There will be regular updates as the science advances – at an accelerating rate.

Another advantage is that the valuable information is available for free. We only need to translate it into readable for. I believe my strong professional and ethical “voice”, vision and direct writing style, honed over decades of technical, executive level, B2B communications and a consulting, will be compelling. I talk to decision makers and professionals in their own language.

There are growing and broad societal implications which will naturally lead to not for profit, government and foundation interest.

Specific Tactics

Blurbs: We should be able to get both professional and scientific blurbs before the manuscript is finished.

Media and Speaking Appearances – Anything to do with the brain and work is a hot media topic. I will be available and will also recruit others to speak based on audiences. Any professional, government agency or business setting is a potential venue as well as conferences. Industries where the education level is high are best – tech, engineering, financial services, etc. Europe is very open to brain science.

Serialization – This material is easily serialized in mid and hi-brow media.

Promotional Opportunities– I intend to engage a speaker’s bureau to book speaking opportunities. Retain an independent publicist and establish an ongoing, targeted email campaign. This is the professional work I currently do.

Schedule, Funding and Responsibilities

Schedule – It is critical to get started in the next 6 months. The bench science is advancing so fast, soon it will not be possible to do this kind of first stage primer which professionals need to get a basic understanding. I am available to work 3/4ths time on the book and marketing.

Funding – We intend to aggressively direct market and secure sponsors and partners for IP development, sales, promotion, distribution and funding. Our business plan will have the goal of being self-funding ASAP.

Responsibilities – Elmer Rich will directly produce and oversee production of all IP. ER will also manage the promotion and sponsorship/partnership solicitations and directly manage key relationships. ER will also be a key presenter but other professionals will be recruited and trained.

We intend to hire, oversee and self-fund a full team to support this IP and the initial and ongoing marketing and distribution work. ER and his team will be doing independent fund raising and other book-related for profit projects including consulting.

Notes

* In the British “financial meltdown” research, the recommend solution to the harmful behaviors — that pretty much destroyed 1/3 of asset values around the world — was to institute “oaths” as a preventative against the harmful behaviors!!?? A predictable, pre-scientific approach to behavior.

** My experience blogging and sharing about brain and peer-reviewed science as applied to professional issues is that American audiences are uniformly hostile to science and new ideas. The best brain science does debunk all pop cultural and political beliefs and ideologies – as the best new science always done. I have also found that Jewish media and culture is the most open to science and new ideas in alignment with the best traditions, and remarkable accomplishments, of Jewish intellectualism. My current marketing strategy for the B3 model is thru largely Jewish networks. British audiences are also open to new ideas and supportive of science, but not as social. Of course, as a professional marketer, I fully understand the U.S. market is by far the richest.

Table of Contents with Comments

Introduction – Brain Science Changes Everything (Draft available)

Part I – Executive Summary

B3 starts with topline take-aways so the reader can read the first part and get the majority of the information needed to apply to their work.

Chapter 1 – B3: Your Brain and Behavior Factbook (Draft available)
The first chapter orients the reader with a view of the science as related to business, the professions and policy from “30,000 feet.” The B3 approach is introduced as a method for critically screening at all the information that a professional is presented with and finding the main “roads” to the best information and applications. We talk mainly here about the application of the science to the “art” of work and professional settings.

This chapter lays out the B3 approach, its differences and advantages. B3 is unique in delivering a combination of the best medical and biological facts along with translating expert, technical material for the executive, decision maker and policy maker.Chapter 2 – Taking You Back to School: Biology and Gene Basics (Draft available)This chapter outlines the latest advances in biology and genetic research that are needed to help understand and apply brain and behavior research. All well-educated decision makers and leaders in their work settings need to have an updated and current understand of the basics in advanced biology. B3 delivers this in a comprehensible style.

The chapter reviews current understanding of how evolution has created universal patterns of behavior, coping and adaptation, from past habitats, to create our “modern” brains. We explain how genes work from what has evolved to what body/brain physiology is produced along with behaviors. The chapter ends with a discussion of evolution and genes and ADHD.

Chapter 3 – Body, Brain and Behavior Basics

Similar to the prior chapter, this on looks at the biology, physiology and medicine of the body and brain. We know quite a bit more about universal medical physiology and behavioral ethology. The neurobiology of behavior is firmly set in the needs of each individual’s body but also priorities inherited from our species evolution.

The latest, fact-based ideas on brain function and behavior are introduced and explained simply. Cutting through the complexity of technical discussions and avoiding the mistakes in popular and “neuro-“models, we offer an evidence-based model that can be applied to work settings. We carry through the discussion of ADHD.

Chapter 4 – Biology, Brain and Behavior in the Workplace

In this chapter we discuss three specific kinds of behaviors relevant to professional work in terms of the B3 model. Looking at each of the 5 levels above 1-5. We look at three levels of behavior. The group processes of leadership, the individual behaviors of creativity and finally how a brain disorder translates in the workplace ADHD.

Under each of these three categories of behavior we will briefly look at evidence of 1-5 from Chapter 2. For example,

Leadership

Evolutionary Context

Genetic Contributions

Nervous System Factors

Brain Processes

Specific Leadership Behaviors

Creativity: A thru E

ADHD: A thru E

Chapter 4 – Topline: From Medical Facts to Business Principals

The main take-aways from brain science are a few general principles that can guide future behavioral problem-solving in work and professional settings. Like there are some basic principles of the body and medical physiology, so too there are some guiding “rules” and laws of the brain and behavior that we can generalize into principals that can be applied to work settings. Each of these principals is based on the best, current primary research and is evidence-based. Each is revolutionary in its own way significantly changing the way we all conceive and strategize about behavior.

A. B3 Principals Brain and Behavior for Business

Each Individual’s Brain Causes Their Behavior – This primary medical, biological, physiological and scientific fact determines the important first principal: the causes of behavior are hidden from our everyday perception and understanding and are only newly accessible via advanced medical technology.

Behavior Matters, Words? Nor So Much – More so than the era of the brain this is the era of behavior. Our cultural and personal beliefs have defined pretty much everything we experience in terms of everyday language and verbal behaviors.

Millisecond and Molecular Scales – The human brain, and animal brains, decodes visual stimuli in 5 ms! That is .005 seconds. Our eyes shift, we presume tracking our world 200 times per second. One study shows humans make the “decision” to trust someone in 33ms!!

Fear of Uncertainty Rules – All animal brains are also hyper-averse to impressions of uncertainty. Make sense. Risk can be managed – uncertainty may be fatal.

No Free Will – There is no conscious control over behavior or personal agency. This is perhaps the most challenging finding of the new sciences.

Biological and Genetic Determinism – The laws of physics and thus chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and the biomechanics or our brains and behavior are set by the proteins created by our genes we inherited from our.

B. The Principals Illustrated – Leadership, Creativity and ADHD – Here we briefly discuss each of the prior behavioral topics in terms of the Principles

Part II – Business, Professional and Policy Problem Solving

This section applies the principals and ideas from the first section to the three targeted work settings of professional work, business and policy. One of the biggest challenges is effectively applying the expertise we have in our various work settings. Our effectiveness is defined by the behavioral inputs and outcomes.

Chapter 5 – B3 for ProfessionalsFirst, we are all professionals in the work we are paid to do. Being is professional is all about specific patterns of technical behaviors – including verbal behaviors. The core of our work is behaviors – by definition. The special, and increasing, challenges in the professions is thus a good place to start in looking closely at work behaviors and the application of brain sciences.

This chapter applies the model, facts and ideas from the prior discussions to the specific needs of professionals including healthcare works, attorneys, accountants and bankers and financial services professionals, computer executives and more.

Chapter 6 – B3 For Business

Businesses can be defined behaviorally as regular group activities with established roles, or behavioral responsibilities. In a social structure, specific individuals are expected to do specific patterns of behavior. Some of those behaviors are likely explicit and apparent but likely others are not. We don’t know because the behavioral research hasn’t been done. We have then internal “roles”/positions/jobs where people are paid by the business, and a whole world of external roles like clients, distributors and partners, consultants, investors-stockholders. We can call all the individuals interested and benefiting from the business stakeholders.

If we take getting money as the preferred outcome of a business activity, the dependent variable, we can focus on behaviors that increase the experience of getting money as the goal of all business activity. This chapter discusses B+B in terms of management and leadership, growth and marketing, services business, manufacturing businesses, problem-solving and capturing opportunities.

Chapter 7 – B3 for Policy and Non-Profits

This is the domain of the very biggest and truly global behavioral problems that need solving. For example, global warming, infectious disease, “terrorism”, financial catastrophes, etc. In contrast to businesses, where the main goal is more money, policy and non-profits are organizations where the goal is generally remediating harmful behaviors in the lives of individuals. Again, it is all about changing behaviors.

In this chapter we discuss the translation of B+B science to governments and harmful behaviors, hard problems, ideology vs evidence, non-profits and NGOs: doing well while doing good. Many institutions are seeking answers but, predictably, behind on the science that could help.

Chapter 8 – Functional TopicsThis chapter will discuss specific functional areas that generalize across all professional settings. We will apply the b3 approach to workplace issues. For example, B3 will discuss harmful behaviors, group decisions and meetings and marketing and more.

We take the insights from the earlier chapters in the book and apply them to everyday issues in the workplace. We also introduce specific research that applies to these topics that passes muster with the B3 critical analysis. Finally, this chapter offers some quick tips and “how-tos” for work dilemmas.

Part III – State of the Science

It isn’t necessary to understand the science to understand the implications of brain and behavioral science for professional work. But starting to develop a fluency and familiarity with the medical facts, a physiology and biology basics is a requirement for being well-educated for any professional going forward. In this part of the book the reader gets an intelligent introduction and explanation of the sciences.

Chapter 9 – Biology, Body and Brain Advanced Course

Here we will deliver and advanced college course in the science of biology – with some graduate seminars thrown in. While not needed to understand the applications to professional work business or policy, these technical and expert topics point the direction that future work will take.

In some of these technical topics there may be new business opportunities and new professional specialties opening up. This chapter gives an in-depth, but still professional not expert, description of the latest finding in brain anatomy and function. The specific parts of the brain are discussed along with eh dynamic processes that contribute to behavior. For example, we have a detailed discussion of how the synapses work – but in a way that is still accessible to the non-expert.